US 11,789,123 B2
Beam homogenization for occlusion resistance
Blaise Gassend, East Palo Alto, CA (US); Ralph H. Shepard, Menlo Park, CA (US); and Jason Watson, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/54,611.
Application 18/054,611 is a continuation of application No. 16/456,508, filed on Jun. 28, 2019, granted, now 11,525,892.
Prior Publication US 2023/0076303 A1, Mar. 9, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G02B 27/30 (2006.01); G02B 26/12 (2006.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01); G02B 5/02 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/4811 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4815 (2013.01); G01S 17/10 (2013.01); G02B 5/0252 (2013.01); G02B 5/0278 (2013.01); G02B 26/12 (2013.01); G02B 27/30 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device comprising:
a light emitter configured to emit light that diverges along a fast-axis and a slow-axis;
a fast-axis collimation (FAC) lens optically coupled to the light emitter, wherein the FAC lens is configured to receive light emitted by the light emitter and reduce a divergence of the received light along the fast-axis of the light emitter to provide reduced-divergence light;
a transmit lens optically coupled to the FAC lens, wherein the transmit lens is configured to receive the reduced-divergence light from the FAC lens and provide transmit light, and wherein the FAC lens is positioned relative to the light emitter such that the reduced-divergence light is expanded at the transmit lens; and
an optical element comprising a material transparent to the transmit light, wherein the optical element is optically coupled to the transmit lens such that the transmit light from the transmit lens passes through the optical element into a surrounding environment, and
wherein:
the device further comprises a diffusive element disposed on a surface of the FAC lens, wherein the diffusive element adjusts a divergence of the reduced-divergence light; or
the FAC lens is physically attached to the light emitter using an epoxy layer that is transparent to light emitted by the light emitter; or
the device further comprises a slow-axis collimation (SAC) lens configured to reduce a divergence of the reduced-divergence light from the FAC lens along the slow-axis of the light emitter prior to the reduced-divergence light reaching the transmit lens.